First Impressions
by Valerina
Summary: AU for end of Rendezvous; Will and Vaughn finally meet.
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: First Impressions  
  
AUTHOR: Valerina  
  
FEEDBACK:  Yes please!  Loved it, hated it, let me know.   Valerina719@hotmail.com  
  
CLASSIFICATION: VSR, angst  
  
SUMMARY:  AU for the ending of "Rendezvous;" Will and Vaughn finally meet.  
  
SPOILERS: Up to and including "Rendezvous" but nothing specific.  
  
DISCLAIMER: JJ, sweet JJ...I'm sad to say that "Alias" is not mine.  If I had to say whose it was I would go with JJ Abrams, "Bad Robot," and ABC.  But that's just a guess :)   
  
DISTRIBUTION:  Credit Dauphine, Alias Fan Fiction Archive.  Anyone else, please feel free but let me know so I can come visit it!  
  
AN: This one goes out to everybody who's been so cool as to leave me feedback on my first few posts—you guys rock! Also, this idea stemmed from a thread on the SD-6.com boards about what would happen during a good Will/Vaughn meeting. This is my take on it. Oh, and love SD-6.com and the boards there—'nuff said!  
  
RATED: PG/PG-13 (for my not so much potty mouth)  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Sydney Bristow spent the better part of the flight home from Paris in a shocked daze.  
  
Will. In Paris. Held by Khasinau's men. He saw her. Her dad brought him there. He knows the truth. He saw her. Her brain seemed to be stuck on a loop that ultimately came to the same conclusion—Will Tippin was going to die.  
  
She had called Michael Vaughn before her plane had even left French soil. His earlier aloofness was forgotten; he was the only one who could help her.  
  
"Vaughn," his voice came across sharp and clear. Sydney glanced at her watch and realized it was mid-morning back in LA. She'd called his cell phone but caught him at work.  
  
"Vaughn, it's me. I need your help."  
  
"Okay…where are you now?" His voice was even, still a bit distant. Sydney shook off the feeling that she was bothering him.  
  
"I'm on my way to LA. Can we meet up as soon as I get in?" She was getting more and more desperate, wishing her plane was landing instead of just taking off.  
  
"I guess," Vaughn said slowly, "what's going on?"  
  
"I just need to talk to you—can we meet at location six around 5 tonight?"  
  
Vaughn was silent for a moment. Finally he let out a sigh. "Of course. I'll see you there."  
  
"Thanks," Sydney said, the relief evident in her voice. She hit the end button and sat back in her chair. The lights of Europe twinkled below her and all she could do was wonder where Will was in all of this.  
  
*****  
  
Vaughn hung up his phone and stared at his blank wall. Well Eric, he thought ruefully, it didn't take long for me to get sucked right back in. It sounded like Sydney was pretty upset—he hoped her mission had gone all right. He knew how hard it would be for her to let Khasinau go, and he prayed she hadn't let her personal feelings get in the way of her mission. He was doing enough of that for both of them.  
  
The day passed and Vaughn made his way out of the office building. Getting in his car he drove to a park on the outskirts of the city—location six. Sydney was already there, sitting on a bench in jeans and a t-shirt, her eyes covered by a wide pair of sunglasses. Her head was down, her hair hanging in her face. His shoes crunched in the gravel and she tensed at his approach but didn't look at him.  
  
"Can I sit down?" She shrugged, still acting as if she didn't know him; it was standard procedure. The two of them sat on the bench, both staring out into the distance. Vaughn glanced at her through the corner of his eye and noticed her puffy eyes hidden underneath the sunglasses.  
  
"Are you okay?" he asked, his concern genuine.  
  
She smiled slightly—it was the first indication that he cared since that odd meeting they had before she left for Paris.  
  
"Will was there," she said simply, her eyes still focused on some far off point. "He knows what I do…well, some of it anyway, and my dad had to step in—"  
  
"Your dad?" Vaughn broke in, incredulous. "What the hell was he doing there? How the hell did Will even get there?"  
  
Sydney sighed and shrugged in apology. "Apparently Will's been contacted by Khasinau. My father thinks that Will is being used to write an exposé of SD-6. Of him and me. I…I don't really know what to think of any of this. He's an innocent, Vaughn, he doesn't deserve to be pulled into this life—he didn't ask for it! Vaughn," she implored him, finally turning to face him, "you've got to help him!" Her eyes were unreadable beneath the dark lenses but Vaughn could hear the desperation in her voice.  
  
"Where is he now?" he demanded.  
  
"The CIA has him. My father set Will up with a 'makeover' in order to get him out of Paris. Oh god, what am I going to do? If he mentions this to anybody, to anybody, he'll die. I can't handle that again." Her voice cracked and she looked down at the ground, attempting to get some sort of hold on her emotions.  
  
Vaughn slowly digested the information. For a moment he couldn't quite get past her comparison of Will's possible demise with Danny's. Did Will really mean that much to her, he mused. Suddenly all the jealous spurts he had experienced over this Will in the past seemed well founded. He shook his head as if to clear it and answered Sydney.  
  
"It's okay, Syd, I'll get back to the office and find out where he is. We'll get him into a safehouse immediately and I'll get a team to start going over contingency plans. Don't worry," he urged her, reaching over and briefly squeezing the hand she had in her lap with his own, "we will make sure he's okay."  
  
Vaughn got up from the bench and began walking back towards his car, his mind racing. He had taken no more than 5 steps when Sydney appeared at his side.  
  
"I'm going with you," was all she said, in a tone that made it clear he had no say in the matter.  
  
*****  
  
Okay, so this is the first time I've done a story in bits and pieces, but hopefully it'll work out. Please let me know if you want to see more! Feedback does wonders for the creative process ( 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
  
  
When they arrived at LA Headquarters the two agents found out that the CIA was one step ahead—Will was already placed in a safe house down in the Valley. Vaughn was headed for his office with Sydney in tow when Haladki stepped into his path.  
  
"Hey Vaughn," Haladki said snidely, eyes shifting over to Sydney. "Bristow," he added after giving her a good once-over. "What are you doing here so late? It can't be advancing your career," he asked, chuckling at his own comment, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them.  
  
Vaughn's jaw clenched but he steeled himself against Haladki's words, knowing that now was not the time to kick his scrawny ass. Sydney narrowed her eyes at the little man.  
  
Haladki, sensing danger, quickly continued. "You going to join us at Willy's down the street? It's my birthday and some of the guys put together a little…celebration," he said suggestively, mentioning a nearby strip club.  
  
Vaughn put his hand to Sydney's lower back and propelled her past him, towards his office door. With Sydney out of earshot he leaned in towards Haladki and growled, "I would rather sit through that all day seminar on office conduct again than 'celebrate' your birthday. Get the hell out of here, I've got work to do." He stepped back and began walking towards his office.  
  
Haladki stood silently for a moment before muttering, "Yeah right, she looks like 'work' to me," and scuttling out.  
  
Sydney had settled into Vaughn's chair when he entered the office. He glanced at her as he headed over to the file cabinet. "Comfy?" he asked.  
  
"Not really," she responded, bouncing up and down slightly on the chair, trying to find a more relaxing way to sit. "You chose the wrong agency, Vaughn—I have a much more comfortable chair at SD-6."  
  
Vaughn let out an appreciative chuckle as he pulled the appropriate file out of the cabinet. "All right, let's go—I'll make some calls on the way over there."  
  
Sydney gladly hopped up from the chair and began following him out. Her eyes swept over the desk and shelves in the office. Not many pictures, and the ones that he did have were of him and his mother, or him and friends. No more Alice, and no substitute for her either. For some reason this pleased her and she smiled slightly as she followed Vaughn out of the building.  
  
The ride to the safe house was uneventful, with Sydney following Vaughn's car from a good ways back, always wary that she was being followed. Finally, after doubling back and making several unnecessary turns they made it to the house.  
  
As soon as she pulled up to the house Sydney threw her car into 'park' and jumped out. She made her way quickly to the door. Vaughn saw her and sighed as he got out of his own car. Once word of this little stunt got back to Devlin not even Eric could save his ass.  
  
He followed Sydney inside and, for all his trouble, was rewarded with the sight of Sydney's arms wrapped tightly around another man. Well, he thought as his eyes dropped to the floor, that must be Will Tippin.  
  
*****  
  
Okay, what do you think? I promise, there will be more juicy fun stuff coming up…this is why I hate doing it chapter by chapter! By what do you guys think? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Will had been sitting on the couch, staring at the wall and contemplating his crazy life when the door burst open. He froze, half-expecting another attempt on his life. He was surprised to see the woman that had just been occupying his thoughts come barreling towards him and grab him in a bear hug.  
  
Still sunned, Will moved his arms up almost mechanically so that he was hugging her back. His gaze fell upon the open door and he squeezed his eyes shut to simply revel in the fact that Sydney was there. After a moment he opened his eyes and was shocked to see a man standing in the frame. He was about to tell Sydney when he realized that this man didn't seem like a threat. The figure's shoulders were slumped as he turned around to close the door softly behind him.  
  
Sydney heard the soft snick of the door's locks falling into place and looked up. Vaughn stood in front of the door, shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot, his eyes everywhere but on the pair entwined on the couch.  
  
Sydney disentangled herself from Will and sat back on the couch. She noticed a few bruises on his face and a small cut or two, but nothing major. She reached out and tentatively touched one of the more noticeable bruises. "How are you holding up?" she asked Will softly.  
  
He ran a hand through his uncombed hair. "Well, other than a bad case of wig hair I'm okay," he joked weakly. "Syd," he started, "what the hell is going on here? You with that outfit and that hair, and that…that kicking of the ass! Who are you? No," he amended, "what are you?"  
  
Sydney felt her eyes fill up with tears. Tears for her friend who was trying so hard to come to grips with all he had seen. Tears for their friendship that was now straining under the weight of her cracking façade. Tears for herself for being in this mess in the first place.  
  
"Oh Will," she sighed, "I don't even know where to start. There's so much to expl—"  
  
"Syd," Vaughn broke in, his voice a warning.  
  
Sydney shot him a look that said, among other things, back the hell off.  
  
Vaughn responded to her unspoken comment by swiftly walking over to her seated figure and grabbing her elbow. He stooped to murmur, "Can I talk to you for a second?" in her ear, his voice as hard as steel.  
  
Will's eyes had fixated on this mystery guy as soon as he opened his mouth and continued to follow him all the way to the couch.  
  
As Sydney excused herself and followed him into the kitchen Will's inner reporter took in all the little details. The fact that they arrived more or less together tonight. He called her "Syd." Not Sydney, or Ms. Bristow, or Secret Agent Sydney…just Syd. She followed him without question or argument.  
  
Will watched the two of them. Although they had moved to the kitchen, it was one of those designs that had a cutout window in the wall between the dining area and the kitchen. So, even though he couldn't really hear them, he still had a wonderful view.  
  
Sydney and Mystery Guy were arguing—that much was clear. He was getting pretty heated up but Sydney wasn't backing down.  
  
Because of the rectangular shape of the cutout Will had the irrational feeling that he was watching a movie and longed for a bucket of popcorn.  
  
Finally their argument must have ended because Sydney smiled at Mystery Guy. And not just any smile—she showed full-fledged dimples. Will absently wondered how long it had been since he had seen that kind of smile. And that's when he realized it.  
  
This mystery guy was him. "The Guy From Work." The guy with the picture frame, the (assumed) imaginary guy that Will had created to explain away Sydney's non-interest in him. Will looked down at his hands in his lap, unable to take much more of that movie. "Holy shit," he muttered to himself, wondering if this day could possibly get any worse.  
  
*****  
  
We're getting close, kids…I can just feel the tension in the air, can't you? Feedback makes the stories come faster! :) 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
  
  
Sydney smiled at Vaughn, pleased that she had finally won the argument.  
  
"Thank you, Vaughn," she said gratefully, "I just need him to know something, something so I don't have to keep lying about who I am."  
  
Vaughn nodded. "I know this isn't easy on you, Syd, having to lie about what you do to your friends, but it's a necessity. Just remember to go easy with the information you give to Will—he needs to know that what you're doing cannot be shared with anyone. Okay?" he added, knowing that it wasn't really necessary to remind her of the danger Will was facing. "And, Syd," he added softly, "you're never lying about who you are—Will knows who you are, and that's why he's your friend. You can never hide that."  
  
Sydney blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. She reached out and touched Vaughn's forearm briefly and gave it a squeeze. "Thanks," she whispered before heading back out to the couch where Will was trying desperately to appear like he hadn't been watching them for the past couple of minutes.  
  
She made it back to the couch and sat down facing Will. Vaughn slowly followed her out of the kitchen and made it over to a wall that was parallel to the back of the couch. He leaned against it and watched as Sydney tried to explain what she could to her friend.  
  
"Will," she started, "this is Michael Vaughn. He and I work together."  
  
Will finally allowed himself to look directly at the man Sydney was motioning towards. In his suit and tie and cool countenance he looked every bit the part of the government agent Will assumed him to be. He nodded at him in greeting, throwing out a semi-friendly "Mike."  
  
Amused, Vaughn nodded back in that time-honored male tradition and responded with a just as semi-friendly, "Will."  
  
"So," Will turned to Sydney, "is he your 'Mulder?'"  
  
Sydney smirked slightly. "Well, not really. Mulder and Scully were partners in the FBI, Will, and, I hate to break it to you, are not real. Vaughn is my handler for the CIA."  
  
Will's eyebrow quirked at her. "Vaughn? See, you call him by his last name—it's just like TV."  
  
Sydney's smile faltered. "Please, be serious for just a minute, okay? I need you to know what has happened to you, what you're in the middle of. You can't know everything, and you probably won't understand it all, but I need you to hear it."  
  
Will let the air out of his lungs slowly. He had been waiting for this, for the truth, for so long. "Okay, Syd…tell me about SD-6."  
  
Over against the wall Vaughn shifted slightly, catching in Will's peripheral vision.  
  
"Actually, Will, that's the one thing I really can't tell you about. I've already told you that I work for the CIA, which is more than enough information to get you killed. You have to understand that you cannot tell anybody, anybody, about what's happened to you, about me, my father—about any of this. Do you understand that?"  
  
Will nodded.  
  
Sydney leaned closer to him, her voice softer, more desperate. "No, Will, promise me that you will never say one word about this—not even on an answering machine, not when you're drunk…" her voice trailed off, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. She put her head in her hands and tried to calm herself.  
  
Will just sat there across from her, not really knowing what had set her off, but feeling helpless to stop it. He tentatively began to reach out for her when he heard that guy, "Vaughn," start to speak.  
  
"Sydney." His voice was warm and soothing like a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. Will turned his eyes to the figure leaning against the wall. He seemed to be involved in an inner struggle, one that ultimately ended in him taking a few tentative steps towards the seated Sydney and placing a hand softly on her shoulder.  
  
Sydney took a deep breath and looked back up at Will. Vaughn's hand flew off of her as if it had been burned. He quickly took several steps backward and resumed his quiet spot on the wall.  
  
Will looked expectantly at Sydney. "Okay, I promise. Now you have to tell me, what the hell are you involved in? You say CIA but what does that even mean? What the hell is a 'handler?'" he asked, gesturing wildly towards Vaughn's silent figure. "You promised to tell me the truth, Syd, but knowing that you're CIA doesn't explain it all! I know that SD-6 can't be good—they killed this woman, this woman who was just trying to help me. She died, Syd—did you know about that, were you a part of that? And your father! Jesus Christ, Syd, your dad!"  
  
Sydney just stared openmouthed at him, assaulted by his barrage of questions that she couldn't possibly answer. Before he could go on she tried to answer what she could. "Will, my dad—he's a good guy, okay? Just like me—"  
  
He cut her off. "A good guy? He kidnapped me! Did you know that? Was that okay with you?"  
  
Sydney narrowed her eyes at him—anger was beginning to take hold. "He only did that for your own good. You would be dead by now if it wasn't for him!"  
  
"Damn it, Syd—these aren't answers. It's not even a full truth. You tell me it's the CIA you work for but I know the things your father has done and I've seen what you do. I've found out more about SD-6 writing a newspaper column then you'll even allude to."  
  
Sydney was speechless. She just stared at Will not knowing what to say to him. She needed to make him understand that she wanted to tell him but she couldn't. Will stared back at her, demanding answers. Unfortunately she had none to give.  
  
Vaughn's voice interrupted the tense silence. "Don't, Mr. Tippin," he said, abandoning any form of friendliness. "Sydney is a patriot. She has done more to save this country than you will ever know. She deserves your respect, and needs your friendship," his voice was low and hard, protective as a lioness with her cubs. "Do not demand anything from her that she thinks it would be in your best interest not to have."  
  
*****  
  
Whee—this is fun! How are you guys likin' it so far? It may be a long weekend before the next chapter—I've got future in-laws coming and a messy house to clean. However, I could be tempted to forget about all that in exchange for some feedback! 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
  
  
Will's eyes met Vaughn's and the two stayed in a tense lock. Not knowing what was going on between the two men, Sydney inadvertently broke the tension by rising from the couch, mumbling, "Excuse me," and walking swiftly towards the back of the house.  
  
Vaughn's eyes followed her retreating figure as did Will's, a fact that was not lost on either man. As she faded from sight Will cursed in exasperation.  
  
"Mr. Tippin," Vaughn began, "there—"  
  
Will cut him off before he had a chance to speak. "Man, who the hell are you?" he spit out, looking up at Vaughn from his perch on the couch. Both men realized the subtext beneath the question—Will wanted to know who Vaughn was to Sydney.  
  
Vaughn closed his eyes and breathed deep. Searching for the right answer proved harder than he thought. Finally he slowly opened his eyes and leaned down towards Will. "I'm her friend, Mr. Tippin, just like you. And what that means is that I won't let anything, anything, hurt her. Do you understand that? As her friend you should want to protect her at all costs. That's my job," he said simply, shrugging. "And you should know, I take my job very seriously." There was no mistaking his threat as he pulled back from Will's personal space and straightened his spine.  
  
Will had to admit he made an imposing figure. He swallowed in discomfort. "Fine," he answered, voice tight with a combination of respect, dislike and envy. "Whatever I can do for Syd. This is all about her." He met Vaughn's eyes—a message sent. Telling him that if Vaughn was important to her in this aspect of her life then so could he be.  
  
Vaughn let out his breath. "Okay…I wasn't exaggerating when I said that Sydney's done more for you, for America, then you'll ever know. And you can't know, no matter how much you want to. Understand that if she tells you this truth then she'll end up compromising both herself and you. Her job is unique and it's one that is, at many times, thankless. Her personal life has to suffer because of what she does, and you're a part of that life."  
  
Will did not miss the way he seemed to force out this last sentence. Knowing Vaughn was right, he sighed in defeat. "I know…I know all this and the last thing I want is to hurt her. It's just so hard. I mean, I've been dragged into this and I still don't really know why. Maybe it's just my job that forces me to be curious, but if I'm going to get killed over something I'd like to know what it's all about."  
  
"I completely understand your need to know, but you have to realize that Sydney cannot tell you certain things and it is that that is going to keep you alive." Vaughn did not fail to notice the irony in play: that it was he who was trying to repair the gap between Will and Sydney.  
  
Will silently contemplated Vaughn's words. It was obvious that this man cared about her, almost as much as he himself did.  
  
Vaughn continued as he leaned down to Will's eye level, "I need you to do me a favor, Mr. Tippin. Talk to Sydney, be her friend. Give her your love and support because she needs it. Lying to you and Francie has taken more of a toll on her than she'd like to admit. You guys mean a lot to her and she does not deserve your disrespect and questions that she cannot possibly answer. It will just remind her of how much she's lost in her life." Vaughn sighed and stood back up. "Please," he finished quietly, "just try and move past this."  
  
They heard a door open at the back of the house. Before Sydney appeared Will had to ask Vaughn a question; not because he wanted to know the answer but because he needed confirmation that Vaughn knew the answer.  
  
"Why did Syd react the way she did a few minutes ago, when she told me not to talk to a machine and get drunk?"  
  
Vaughn looked at him quizzically but answered nonetheless. "Danny—he left a message on her machine. It's how SD-6 learned that he knew the truth." Will nodded slightly, his eyes focused on a far off point, as if he had known all along.  
  
Sydney stepped back into the room, composed but still looking as if she'd just lost her best friend. Vaughn cleared his throat. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes, okay, Syd? Then we've got to get going."  
  
Sydney nodded at him, grateful for the time alone with Will.  
  
Vaughn disappeared into a door down the hallway and Sydney sat back on the couch, facing Will once more. She steeled herself against another verbal assault but he seemed to be contemplating something, lost in his own world.  
  
"Will?" she asked. The sound of her voice seemed to snap him out of his reverie.  
  
"Syd, I'm sorry about how I acted before. I…I know what you do can't be easy and I'm just making it worse. You have my word that I'll never talk about this with anyone, okay? What you've told me is enough."  
  
Sydney looked at him with wide eyes. She wondered, briefly, what Vaughn had said to him while she was in the bathroom. "That really—I'm really glad you said that. I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you or Francie."  
  
Will's mouth twisted wistfully as she mentioned his name in the same breath as Francie's. Her friends. She would hate to lose her best friends. Him and Francie. It ran through his brain like a locomotive on crack.  
  
Sydney suddenly rose up on her haunches to bridge the gap between her and Will, throwing her arms around him and squeezing tight.  
  
After a few moments they broke apart and settled back on opposite sides of the couch. Sydney was smiling serenely and Will was loath to interrupt the comfortable silence, but he realized that if he didn't ask the question now he'd probably never get another chance.  
  
"So, ah, what's up with 'Mulder?'" he asked in an overly composed tone, eyes glancing towards the direction in which Vaughn had disappeared.  
  
Sydney's mouth quirked at the comparison to the fictional FBI agent but her eyebrows knitted in confusion at his question. "What do you mean 'what's up' with him?"  
  
Will cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, what do you two…um, are you guys…" his face turned red as he tried to come up with an easy way to broach the subject. Finally he gave a frustrated sigh and stared at the mirror on the wall. His own reflection, Will the Suave Reporter, seemed to mock his inability to ask a simple question.  
  
Sydney continued to stare at Will as she tried to work out what he was trying to ask her. "Will, I'm really sorry, but I completely don't understand what you're trying to…"  
  
Will brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. His face contorted as if in pain. He released the hold on his skin and looked over at Sydney. "How exactly…how exactly does he 'handle' you?" he blurted out, unable to come up with any better way to throw it out there. He mentally smacked himself for being such a dork.  
  
  
  
*****  
  
Okay, the future in-laws are out to dinner so I was able to type this up and post it. After all, I promised with feedback comes more goodies. Still a little bit left—what do you guys think so far? Anything you want to happen? I'm open to suggestions :) Now that you know feedback=chapters I'm definitely expecting some! FEEEED MEEE! 


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